The Los Angeles Rams lost their fourth game in a row and fell to 3-5 on the 2016 NFL season in morbid excuse for a sunny Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles.
Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers did not entirely convince with their play, but the visitors managed to score 13 points, which was more than Case Keenum and the Rams' offense could manage in 60 minutes, i.e. the Rams lost the game 13-10.
The official count of tickets distributed was 86,109, and the segment of those fans supporting the Rams at the LA Coliseum did so by extending the Halloween greetings a week into November—booing at every opportunity.
Describing the Rams' offense as anemic would be paying it a compliment. On Sunday, the Rams' offense was awful. Even kicker Greg Zuerlein, who is usually the reliable insurance policy when the team runs out of gas in the red zone, missed two field goal in the first half.
And fans at the Los Angeles Coliseum vocalized their anger by not only jeering their team but also chanting "We Want Goff," a call for the Rams' rookie quarterback, Jared Goff. Goff has yet to play in an NFL game, but the team's decision to trade up and draft the quarterback out of the University of California at Berkeley with the no. 1 overall pick made the yellow and gold crowd wonder why Goff had not come into the game.
When Keenum threw an interception late in the third quarter, the groans grew louder. Through three quarters, the Rams had not scored a single point, and the Panthers took that Keenum interception and and scored a field goal to extend their lead to 10 points.
A restless Rams' crowd finally saw some hope when Keenum put together a 10-play, 68-yard drive that stalled on Carolina's 7-yard line. Keenum threw a bullet pass that hit wide receiver Lance Kendricks in the chest, but the receiver could not hold on. The drop cost the Rams a touchdown.
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With 8:06 showing on the game clock, Zuerlein converted a field goal to finally give the Rams their first points of the day. Thanks to a stingy defense led by All-Pro Aaron Donald, who had two sacks on the day, the Rams only trailed by one score at that stage.
However, the Panthers went down the field and put up three more points to reestablish a 10-point lead with 3:44 remaining in the game. By that point, the crowd at the Coliseum had begun to shuffle out.
With the defeat all but guaranteed, Keenum led the Rams down the field and scored a touchdown with 34 second remaining. The ensuing onside kick was recovered by Carolina, and the Panthers took a knee to claim victory.
Next, the Rams travel to New York to face the New York Jets on Nov. 13.
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